University of Kentucky Basketball: Let’s Ball

It’s time for the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament to begin. All of the preparation, hard work and sacrifice has led to this moment. When all is said and done, only one team will be covered by confetti as CBS plays “One Shining Moment” in the background. And while a few teams are just happy to be in the tournament and more are happy to pick up a win or two, most teams would be thrilled for a Final Four finish. But not the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

The Wildcats are the favorites. They are 34-0. They’re combined height is second only to the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers. They have arguably the deepest team in the field. And the Cats have the same starting backcourt that led them to the final weekend of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. All signs indicate that anything short of 40-0 and a national title would be a bust for this team, that their full potential wasn’t fulfilled. But is that true?

As Jay Bilas explained to the team while they were playing exhibition games in the Bahamas this summer, the media, and other folks on the outside, will have a narrative about this team. He explained that to start the season it would be “Wow, this team is really good,” and then move to dissecting the team, stoking the fires over playing time and other individual stats. And we all saw that come to pass during the season. Bilas ended his talk by saying that outsiders have no clue what’s going on in the UK locker room, but they will have an opinion anyway. The last phase of the outside critique, according to Bilas, would be the preponderance of opinions on how this team could be beat.

And as the tournament is set to begin, that’s where we are. While the Cats are still the odds on favorites to win the title and most sports folks are jumping on the Big Blue Bandwagon, there are still a few vocal outliers that have detailed plans on how and why the Cats could be beat. Whether it’s because they didn’t play and down to the wire games (down 9 to Georgia with less than 10 minutes left) or the strength of the SEC, there are a few people that have decided the Cats simply can’t do what it looks like they will do.

Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

The great thing about college basketball is that the Wildcats have to ability to silence all critics and leave no doubt. They can make their historic mark in college basketball and UK history. The young men under head coach John Calipari’s guidance hold their destiny in their own hands, the way it should be. Are they unbeatable? No. Of course not. But I feel confident that these young men know and understand what’s at stake. Not only do they know and understand it, but they’ve embraced it. They want to make history.

Over the next six games, it won’t matter what anyone writes or anyone says about this team. The only thing that matters is how they play on the court. The time for talking is over, the time for playing is now. As Coach Cal put it at Big Blue Madness, “Let’s ball.”